ATP Shanghai: Medvedev chases series by Federer and Djokovic
Daniil Medvedev contests the final against Alexander Zverev at the ATP Masters tournament in Shanghai on Sunday (10.30 a.m.CEST) and is chasing a record even before the match: those of most final appearances in series. Zverev, however, can defend another record with a win.
by Robert M. Frank
last edit: Oct 12, 2019, 10:10 pm
Washington, Montreal, Cincinnati, Flushing Meadows, St. Petersburg and now also Shanghai: Daniil Medvedev (ATP 4) has reached the sixth final in a row at the Masters in the Chinese metropolis. The 23-year-old Russian is slowly but surely on his way to attack the record marks of the best. Andy Murray (seven final appearances in a row) and Rafael Nadal (nine) seem at least within reach, should the Moscow right-hander continue to play as furiously as in the previous year. Only for the two leaders in this ranking, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic (both 17), would Medvedev still have a lot of work to do.
"You have 17 in a row? Wow. That is far ahead. I think it is impossible. But there are two guys who did what I didn't really know. It’s just incredible. I have no words to describe it, ”said the high-flyer when asked about his series to ATP after his semi-final victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas .
Zverev can defend Masters record
Medvedev, still at number 16 in the ATP world ranking at the beginning of the year, would not only win his fourth title of the year after St. Petersburg, Cincinnati and Sofia as well as his with a success in the 8.3 million hard court tournament with his 13th final overall seventh tournament victory, but also narrow the gap to the top three in the world rankings.
Medvedev could also widen the gap to Dominic Thiem (ATP 5) and Zverev (ATP 6) with a Shanghai title. Zverev wants to ensure that this does not happen in his third final of the year after Acapulco and Geneva. The 22-year-old from Hamburg would still have one advantage over his opponent in a Masters final victory in Shanghai: If successful, the German number would still be ahead in the statistics of those players outside the top four who clinched two Masters titles in one season. Zverev had done this in Rome and Montreal in 2017, ten years earlier the 2007 David Nalbandian had done it for the last time.
Zverev paid tribute to the Russian despite his statistics of four victories in all four duels so far "He is perhaps the best player in the world at the moment," said the eleven-time ATP champion , who will win qualification for the ATP final in a tournament win.